Moving-picture car.



A. TRUCHAN.

MOVING PICTURE CAR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.18, 1915.

Patented July 13, 1915.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

mmm

COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH co. WASHINGTON, D. c

-A. TRUCHAN.

MOVING PICTURE CAR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 18. 1915.

1 1 %5 Patented July 13, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2. i

COLUMBIA PLANOHRAPH cD-. WASHINGTON. D. C.

A. TRUCHAN.

MOVING PICTURE CAR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 18, 1915.

Patented July 13, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

COLUMBIA FLANOORAPH C0..WASHXNGTON, D. c.

ANTONI TRUCHAN, OF FLINT, MICHIGAN.

MOVING-PICTURE CAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 13, 1915.

Application filed. January 18, 1915. serial No. 2,851.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, AN'roNI TRUCHAN, subject of the Czar of Russia, residing at Flint, in the county of Genesee and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Moving-Picture Cars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in moving picture cars.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a railway car such as for either a steam, electric or other form of railway which is constructed after the manner of a moving picture theater being designed to afford amusement and instruction to the passengers, while traveling in the car.

A further object is to provide a car whereby the monotony of travelingmay be relieved by exhibitions of moving pictures viewable by the passengers without leaving their seats and the same provides the requisite cage and screen for the apparatus as well as a shutter means for darkening the car windows during the progress of the entertainment.

A still further object is to provide a theater car for moving pictures having a lantern cage at one end and a projection screen at the other end and having vertically movable shutters for the car windows easily manipulated by the operator of the theater from the lantern cage.

lVith these general objects in view and others that will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawings forming a part of this application and in which like-designating characters refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views, Figure 1 is a sice elevation of the present form of car oody removed from its wheeled truck and with the side steps partially broken away. Fig. 2 is a horizontal longitudinal sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a central vertical longitudinal sectional view thereof. Fig. 4c is a vertical transverse sectional view taken upon line 1V-IV of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a similar sectional view upon line V-V of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional longitudinal view of a portion of the car taken upon the lines VIVI'of Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of one of the shutters and nits shifting means with the adjacent side wall of the car removed. Fig. 8 is a detail vertical sectional view taken upon line VIII-VIII of Fig. 7, and Fig. 9 is an enlarged top plan view of the actuating means for the window shutters.

lteferring more in detail to the drawings, the invention broadly consists in providing a car body 10 which is adapted to be mounted upon the usual wheel railway truck for running upon the rails of a road and the present invention is especially adapted for employment with electrical railway lines. This form of car has a platform at each end thereof, and while. each platform may be provided with a controller mechanism for running the car, only the forward platform 11 is herein so illustrated, the same having a form of controller 12 and by means of which the motor-man may operate the car when standing upon said forward platform and within the forward vestibule 13. The said forward vestibule has oppositely positioned doors 14- and steps 15 leading thereto, while the adjacent or forward end wall 16 of the car is in the form of an unbroken partition. The opposite or rear end of the car from the vestibule 13 is provided with a rear platform 24 having a rear vestibule 17 thereover and provided with opposite doors 18 and steps 19 positioned at each of the said doors. The main interior of the car consists of the theater 20 having an inclined floor 21 slanting forwardly toward the said front wall 16, while opposite rows of seats or benches 22 are secured to the said floor and are positioned facing the moving picture screen 23 mounted upon the inner side of the front wall 16. At the rear of the seats arranged as above described, there is positioned two inclosures, one of the same designated 25 being employed as a toilet and the other designated as 26 being adapted for use as the cage for the moving picture lantern 27 and such arrangement leaves a door space 28 for the entrance of pasengers into the theater 20. The floor 29 of the lantern cage is elevated above the car floor, while a door 30 is provided for the cage which may be reached by means of a ladder 31 extending to the rear platform 24.

The car is provided with opposite rows of windows 32 through the sides thereof arranged slightly inclined conforming to the wound upon the spool and has one end sev cured thereto, while its opposite free end is secured as at 39 to the top of the adjacent shutter 33 as best illustrated in Fig. 7. A beveled gear 40 is secured to the rear end of each of the rods 36 and is in constant mesh with a similar gear 41 secured to the adjacent end of a transversely journalcd rod 42.

An operating crank portion 43 is provided for the transverse rod 42 within the lantern cage 26, while a pivoted pawl 44 is secured to the rear Wall of the cage, being adapted to ratchetingly engage a toothed wheel 45 upon the transverse rod 42. The side portions of the car roof 46 may have an inner wall or sheath 47 if desired furnishing an intervening space 48 for accommodating the rods 36 and the shutter mechanisms at the sides of the car, although the operation of such shutter mechanism is equally as serviceable when only a single wall is provided for the car. A frame 49 is positioned beneath the inclined floor 21 for imparting the usual exterior appearance to the car structure. Ventilators 50 may be provided at the sides of the car if found desirable.

The operation of the present car will be at once apparent from this description thereof, as the pictures projected by the lantern 27 upon the screen 23 will be readily viewable by the occupants of the seats 22 within the theater 20 while the window shutters 33 are readily shifted by actuating the crank 43 within the lantern cage. The passengers may readily enter the theater through the doorway 28 from the rear platform 24 and may leave the same through the forwardly positioned side door 51. which has suitable steps 52 leading therefrom.

l/Vhile the form of the invention herein shown and described is what is believed to be the preferred embodiments thereof, it is nevertheless to be understood that minor changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What I claim as new is A theater car having platforms at each end, one of said platforms constituting an operators platform and the other an entrance platform, said platforms being of uniform height at each end whereby such heights may be made to correspond to the standard platform height and enabling standard height couplings to be used, and an auditorium between the platforms having a floor of even height at one end with one of said platforms and dropped at the other end below the remaining platform, said auditorium being provided with side walls having rows of windows having their tops and bottoms in lines parallel to the inclination of the floor.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ANTONI TRUCHAN.

Witnesses:

CLARA Z. BUELL, ELMA E. EASTON.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

